Cigarette-vending device



May 28, 1229. 1-. SIMPSON CIGARE'IITE VENDING DEVICE Filed Oct. 19. 1 27 Patented May 28, 1929.

UNITED STATES TULLY SIMPSON. or ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

CIGARETTE-VENDING n-EvIcE.

Application filed October 19, 1927. Seria1 1\To. 227,078.

This invention is a cigarette vending device, and the object is to provide a relatively simple, practical and efficient device for dispensing cigarettes one at a time upon the 1nsertion of pennies for operating the mechanism.

In the drawing y Figure 1 is a perspective view of the de- -vice in operative position;

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section,

' showing the operating lever depressed ,1

Figure 3 is a similar view showing the operating lever and cigarette slide elevated as in the process of delivering a cigarette;

Figure 4- is a cross section on the line 44: in Figure 2;

Figure 5 1s a sectional detail of the upper central lid portion of the device taken on the line 5-5 in Figure 3;

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail'of the coin A operated lever locking mechanism.

The device includes a suitable case 1 of a width slightly greater than the length of the cigarettes 2 placed therein, the said case having a medial lever slot 3 in the front end, and a transverse cigarette aperture 4 in the upper side, covered by double doors 5 hinged at 6 to open upwardly as shown. One side as 7 of the case 1 is made detachable as shown and is provided with a lock 8, so that cigarettes may be inserted and coins removed. The upper portion of the interior of the case 1 is partitioned from the lower portion by two transverse V-shaped partitions 9, arranged to slope towards a central opening 10 left between the said partitions for a purpose later pointed out. The opening 10 is vertically aligned with the cigarette aperture 4.

Spaced partitions 11 are supported from the sides of the case 1 transversely of the upper partitioned portion of the case, thus forming a cigarette chute 12 in alignment with the openings 4: and 10. These partitions 11 do not extend quite down to the horizontal or perpendicular partitions 9, thus leaving at each side of the chute 12 cigarette openings 13. Thus two upper cigarette hoppers 14 are formed at each side of the chute 12, with the cigarette openings or slots 13 provided through which the cigarettes 2 may be rolled into the lower end of the chute 12.

Below the partitions 9 and in alignment with the partitions 11, additional partitions 16 are mounted in spaced relation, thus forming a slide-way 17 aligned with the cigarette chute 12. The partitions 16 are slotted medially and vertically, as shown at 18 and in alignment with the lever slot 3. A cigarette engaging slide 19 is slidably mounted within the slide-way 17. This slide is substantially of the same width as thelength of the cigarettes handled by the device, the upper edge 20 thereof'being concaved as shown so as to low the rounded edge 21 of the slide 19. The

lever 22 is pivotally attached atv23 at the lower margin of the slot 3. The slide 19' rests upon the lower and inner-end of the lever 22, and a when these elements are in their retracted position, the upper concaved edge 20 of the slide will be substantially on a level and in the same-plane with the lower webs of the partitions 9. Thus as cigarettes 2roll out from the hoppers 141- they will roll one at a time upon the concaved edge or end 20 of the slide 19 and will be held there until delivered. This delivery is accomplished by merely bearing down upon the outer end of the lever 22',

thus causing the inner end of the lever to playthrough the slots 18 of the partitions16 beneath the slide 19, thereby elevating the slide 19 which pushesthe cigarette 2 borne at its upper end, up through the aperture 4. In this movement the doubledoors 5 are forced upwardly as shown in Figures 3 and 5.

- Springs 2 1 normally hold these doors closed.

If desired, a notch or recess 25 may be cut in an upper corner of the slide 19, and then a stop pin 26 mounted at the corresponding end of the aperture 4 and arranged to coact with the notch 25 in such a way that as the cigarette-2 is forced up by the slide 19, the corner 27 at therecess 25, passing upwardly, will cause an end'of the cigarette 2 to be caught and stopped by the pin 26, thereby tilting the opposite end of the cigarette upwardly ready to the hand of the purchaser. This development is clearly shown in Figure 5. A lever locking mechanism is provided, consisting of a small housing 28 having a counterdescribed.

into the open lower end of the lever 22 and so lock that lever against movement. However, upon the deposit of the proper coin,

such as the penny 81, through the lateral opening 36 in the upper and outer end of the tubular lever 22, the said coin rolls rapidly 33 immediately above the pivotal point 30 of the trigger 29, and this frontal piece 33 is located just outside of and in parallel relation with the circumference of the imaginary circle defined by the said inner end of the lever 22in its swiveling movement upon its pivot 23. Thus this piece 33 serves to hold the coin 31 within the tubular lever 22 until that lever is elevated above the said housing 28, whereupon the coin will roll down the lever and will fall over back into the bottom of the case 1, as shown Figure 2. A spring 34 nor-' mally holdsithe lever 22 in its lowered or depressed position .as shown in Figure 2, and locked in that position by the trigger 29. A stop pin 35 prevents the trigger 29 from being 'forced too far outwardly by the impingement of the coin 31.

The lateral coin opening 36 in the upper and outer end of the tubular lever 22 prevents the unauthorized insertion of a wire or the like down through thesaid lever, for tripping the trigger 29.

It is thought that the use and operation of the device has now been sufiiciently shown and illustrated in the foregoing specification, taken in connection with the said drawings. The cigarettes 2 roll one at a time down through the openings 13 upon the concaved upper end of the slide 19, by which they are elevated to the hand of the user, upon his depositing a coin through the lever-22, and operating the lever as stated.

While I have here shown a preferred cinbodnnent of my lnvention, 1t 1s understood that I may vary from the same in minor'details of construction, within the'scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

In a coin operated dispensing device, the combination oi? a vertically arranged element slid ably mounted, a hollow lever downwardly inclined and loosely engaging the said vertically arranged slidableelement, and a trigger movably mounted at and in alignment with the lower end of the said hollow lever, the said trigger being adapted to normally'engagethe lower end of the lever and to be released therefrom by the'impingement of acoin roll- .ing down through said lever. I

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

T LLY SIMPSON. 

